The extent of the complaints about one maternity unit is unprecedented

Lawyer Sarah Harman

Olukemi Christine Onoade, 45, was sacked after the tot was discovered in a locked stationery stockroom during a night shift in April last year at the Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex.

A member of staff is alleged to have found the baby face down after it had been vomiting.

The baby survived but Onoade, of Tilbury, Essex, who denies the claim, was sacked by Barking, ­Havering and ­Redbridge University ­Hospitals NHS Trust.

However, the mother-of-two was later ­reinstated on appeal and given a written final warning.

She has returned to work on the labour ward at King George Hospital in ­Goodmayes, Essex, run by the same trust as the Queen’s Hospital.

Regulator the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), says she is still under ­disciplinary investigation.

The NMC’s Investigating Committee ruled in January that Onoade could return to work but only if she was strictly supervised. She is also allowed to work only for the trust that disciplined her.

One King George insider said: “I think it is wrong she has returned to work. Women are coming into the maternity ward and are placing their trust in staff here to deliver their babies in the safest possible environment.

“They will be appalled to find out one of the midwives is working here while she is still facing allegations that she showed such a gross lack of care.”

Making its ruling, the committee said: “There is a prima facie case that supports the allegation that the registrant (Onoade) had a degree of culpability in allowing a vulnerable infant to be left in an unsafe environment.

“Therefore, the panel consider there is a risk of repetition and a real risk of ­serious harm to the health and wellbeing of patients in her care if she is allowed to work with no restrictions. Therefore, an interim order is necessary.”

Last month the NMC’s disciplinary panel told Onoade she would have to ­submit a performance review from her line manager by the end of January.

Her lawyer said Onoade was facing ­“financial hardship” and asked for ­permission for her to work as an agency midwife to top up her earnings.

The panel refused, saying it would have meant her working without enough supervision.

An NMC spokesman said: “The interim ­order still stands and will do so until mid 2013.”

Maternity services at Queen’s Hospital are already under fire after a string of deaths of mums and newborns and it has been dubbed “the worst in Britain”.

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report in October last year ­revealed a “culture of abuse” among ­midwives and maternity staff at the ­hospital.

In one case an exhausted woman in ­labour was told by a midwife: “Hurry up or I’ll cut you.”

Five women died in the 18 months ­leading up to the CQC investigation, with the most serious failings at Queen’s.

The NHS trust said two women had died at the maternity unit since the ­publication of the CQC report. One death was due to natural causes and the other is the ­subject of an inquest.

Lawyer Sarah Harman has dealt with more than 50 claims against the trust.

She said: “The extent of the complaints about one maternity unit is unprecedented.

“I am currently dealing with three claims arising out of babies dying during labour, all because the midwives ­neglected the mothers and failed to carry out checks.”

Trust chief executive Avril ­Dongworth said: “An appeal panel made a decision to ­reinstate Olukemi Onoade due to an inconsistency in the investigation report. Since that time she has ­complied with all of the restrictions on her practice.”

Ms Dongworth added: “There has been huge investment in staffing and the trust now offers one of the best midwife-to-birth ratios in the country.”‘Onoade allowed a vulnerable infant to be left in an unsafe environment’